Fundraising and Bike Riding

Every year our church preschool has a fundraiser - the Trike-a-Thon. The kids ask for pledges to see how many laps they can go in 10 minutes. It's a fun event, open to the whole community. They have a bake sale, raffles for gift baskets, moon bounce, fire trucks - all the usual things that you see at a fall festival. It's the biggest fundraiser of the year for the preschool, and usually allows them to buy new playground equipment, or supplies for the art room, or any number of other school-related things to get through the next year.

Now, I don't want this post to sound like a rant, and I'm not trying to complain. As a preschool parent I am more than happy to help out with this event and support the school's efforts. Everyone is asked to bake something for the bake sale, donate something for the gift baskets, work a shift at the event, AND help their child collect pledges for the Trike-a-Thon. So next weekend I'll be baking something, shopping for a gift item, and asking people for money. I guess this is something I have to get used to as the parent of an almost-school-aged-child. Did my parents do all this stuff when I was little? I guess maybe I just don't remember because I was too young and didn't pay attention to all the details.

With our busy lives I feel like it would almost be easier to just donate $100 for everything and be done with it. Do I really want to ask my friends and family to pledge money for Ainsley to ride her bike? I guess this is just a glimpse of what's to come...girl scout cookies, holiday gift wrap, rock-a-thons, band trips... I'm just not quite ready to start ringing doorbells yet.

So here's my one and only plea. If you would like to pledge money for the Trike-a-Thon please let me know. Checks can be made out to SLCOF (Shining Light Community Outreach Foundation). Or feel free to come by the Woodlake United Methodist Church on Hull St. October 20 from 3 - 5pm to enjoy the festivities. Parker will be there climbing on fire trucks and talking to the policeman. I'll be sure to take a video of Ainsley riding her bike as fast as she can (because you know how competitive she is) and will post it on my blog afterwards.

I promise to wait at least another year before I ask you to buy wrapping paper.

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